First and Second Graders Writing Informational Text

Abstract

The author of this article investigated, described, and interpreted the ways in which primary-grade children interacted with informational texts and wrote their own informational texts. In a qualitative study of informational writing in the primary grades, 24 first and second graders worked in pairs over a period of two weeks to research self-selected topics and to produce written work suitable for (classroom) publication. Analysis of the students' written text, together with the transcripts of their conversations, showed that while the students wrote their new texts, their talk centered around the following topics: content suggestion, generating ideas, syntax negotiation, spelling, concern for conventions, organizing and categorizing information, rereading the writing, and revision. Results suggest that common instructional practices in the primary grades may underestimate the ability of these students to comprehend (age-appropriate) informational texts and to produce informational writing of their own.